Most recent int'l studies prove it: Rent control raises prices for most tenants
Taber Andrew Bain, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Even though SJ and other SV cities continue to pursue more rent control measures, the consensus among economists and academics continues to say definitively that these measures hurt affordability and supply.
Financial Times Review, 2026
The FT evaluated over 1k studies from around the world, with a sharp focus on rent control in different global cities.
Guess what? While 89 out of 101 studies showed that rent controls lowered prices for regulated tenants (by an average of ~9.4%), the overwhelming majority pointed to severe side effects: higher rents in unregulated markets, reduced residential mobility, discouraged new construction, and lower housing quality/maintenance.
American Enterprise Institute, February 2026:
AEI checked out long-term empirical data on rent control impacts, with a special focus on SF.
Results?
Rent control reduces the affordable housing supply (with San Francisco data indicating impacted landlords reduced housing supply by roughly 15%).
Lowers property maintenance quality.
Depresses local employment.
Exacerbates long-run rent increases and homelessness.
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